Insecure
by CharlieConway
Summary: Charlie was never the best looking or the most talented, but he always had friends.  He was always the leader of the pack, until his confidence starts to wither and his insecurities arise. Who will save the beloved Captain?  Charlie/Adam.
1. Worthless

**Authors Note: Hello Everyone! I am brand new to this fandom. I hadn't watched any of the movies since I was really little and I was just reminded of them last week when D3 came on television. I looked up the fanfiction and I saw that the fandom needed some serious reviving... so I decided to write a fic of my own. **

**This first chapter is mostly just an introduction to the plot. You get a little bit of Charlie's inner turmoil here. This is Charlie/Adam just so you know.**

**Warnings: slash, gay sex, foul language, graphic injuries, depression, homophobia, insecurities, non-con, slight character bashing, evil!Orion and just boys being boys.**

**BIG THANKS TO MY WONDERFUL BETA hollywar!**

**Insecure**

**Chapter One: Worthless**

Charlie Conway had confidence issues sometimes. Whether it was on his awkward looks or about his hockey abilities; he always felt inferior. Granted, he'd never let how he truly felt show; because that's not captain-like at all. But he wishes someone would reach out to reassure him once in awhile. Or he wished he could trade places with someone different, just once or twice.

Most of all, he just can't shake the feeling that he has no business being called captain anymore.

He used to play all the time. Defense, offense, penalty shots. Coach Bombay had him doing everything; believing in him. Sure, he always came second best next to Jesse Hall, but he was always active on the ice. Bombay used to look at him with pride, expect everything out of him and much more. He was always the smallest, but that never held him back.

_Nothing _held him back. Hell, he was responsible for holding the Ducks together when they fell apart before they even had a chance to start. They wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him, but alas; his humble efforts were overlooked when the new hotshot arrived.

He never allowed himself to become resentful of Adam Banks, but he does indulge in self pity from time to time.

Only Adam could make him feel worthless without even meaning to. On the contrary, he does the exact opposite of that; showering Charlie with compliments every chance he gets. Anybody in their right mind would think that Adam was Charlie's own personal little guidance counselor, but he's really the person that makes Charlie feel most insecure.

When they first laid eyes on each other it was like instant puppy love, and they became inseparable. As soon as Adam became more comfortable with the new team, it was like they took ownership over each other. Charlie was Adam's, Adam was Charlie's. If Adam did something Charlie would follow suit, and vice versa. If Charlie got hurt, Adam would comfort him. If Adam got hurt, Charlie's was always there to patch him up and get him back into working order again.

You would think Adam would be the one person keeping Charlie out of depression, right? But that's where Charlie's wirings get all confused and mangled together. He doesn't exactly _know _how Adam makes him feel.

They're best friends; had been ever since he joined the team. They were always there to make each other laugh and show each other a good time. But at the same time, Adam has always struck Charlie as a threat, someone he would have to compete with. However, as their team progressed and got better and better, Charlie realized there was never a competition.

He was never a threat.

He was just an inexperienced kid, who had been thrown into a rag tag, scanty group of children who were too poor to have a sufficient team name. He's _still _just an awkward, blundering child who doesn't know what to do with himself. So he clings onto a hockey team he doesn't deserve being in.

He's afraid he'll never come out of this.

When Adam came along, he was very unsure of himself too; but in a different way. He was just scared because the fact that he was put on a team with the meager kids would disrupt the status quo and upset his father. Still, he managed to pull himself out of his slump and become everyone's hero.

Charlie found his rank as 'Everyone's Best Friend' slipping from his grasp and the new recruit taking the reins. He was always an accepting person though; that's when the 'Banks&Conway' duo was born. They made a tradition to skate into each other's arms after a particularly good goal or a big win, or holding the backs of each other's heads and pressing their foreheads together for fierce pep talks or comforting words during a specifically difficult game. Though his other teammates respect for him was waning and being transferred to Adam, he was blindsided by the beautiful friendship that was flourishing between them.

He still is.

He tried not to dwell on the fact that he's not a key provider on the ice like he used to be. He tried to have fun with his friends like old times, but the attention that everyone used to reserve for him is now focused on Adam. He couldn't help but feel like that now that they have a high ranking player to lead them through the games, he's just there to take up extra space.

Looking back, that's probably all he's good for now. Like back during the Goodwill Games when they were losing to Iceland and all he could do was get intercepted and fumble over himself. He had done so bad that he felt nauseous when Bombay walked into the locker room after words to tell the team how pathetic they had been. He couldn't help but feel that every word was being directed at him, and when they had to practice that night he punished himself by pushing excessively harder and harder until he had to hurry off the ice to puke into one of the trash cans.

He cried that night. He cried so hard his throat went raw and it became hard to breathe. He was losing a big part of himself: the hockey player he once thought he was. And he felt helpless and burdensome, wanting nothing more than for the coach to come in and kick him off the team. Just to put him out of his misery. He buried his face into the pillow and wailed so hard his back arched with it, his body shook as it wracked with sobs.

He had lain in his bed for what seemed like hours, drowning in his own tears. He gripped the sheets so tight his knuckles went white with the strain. He wallowed in remorse from his newfound failure until he felt a comforting hand trail up his back and start to rub circles in the middle of it. He looked up through blurred, puffy eyes into Adam's piercing, worried gaze.

"What's this about?" Adam tutted, trying to sound scolding, but only coming across as concerned and eager to provide aid. He tugged on Charlie's shirt until the smaller boy complied and shifted so that he was sitting beside him. They were so close their thighs were touching. "Are you gonna tell me what's got you so upset?" He urged once Charlie was settled next to him.

Charlie wiped furiously at his eyes, trying to stop the merciless tears from falling down his face. He hated for Adam see him like this, a total wreck. "N-Nothing…" He peers up to see that Adam isn't buying it. "Naw, man… I'll be fine. Thanks for checking up on me, though."

_Don't look him in the eye, don't look him in the eye, just don't look him in the eye…_

"Bullshit," he knows Charlie all too well to believe any of the lies he's pedaling. "Why don't you just tell me what's really going on. I am your best friend, aren't I?"

Charlie shook his head, as stubborn as ever. "It's stupid."

Which only proves to worry Adam even more; Charlie has never been the one to be coy. Adam's fierce gaze scanned over Charlie in observation. "Did something happen with one of the guys? Is someone pushing you around?" His features cracked in distress. "Are you hurt?"

"No… no!" Charlie interrupted before he can fly too far off the handle. "It's not that."

"Then what is it?" He hit Charlie with the full force of his brutal scrutiny. "You can tell me, Charlie. C'mon Spazway."

Charlie's resolve crumbled upon hearing the nickname on Adam's lips. He started, "It's my fault."

He could feel the tears, heavy in his throat. "It's my fault we lost the game today. It's my fault we're one loss from elimination. It's all my fault!"

Adam's brow creases. "Oh, Charlie…"

But Charlie wasn't done yet.

"If I would've just had better balance and stayed out of everyone's way, we wouldn't've lost." He mentally curses his weakness when he feels tears start to trickle down his cheeks and sobs building up helplessly in his throat. "I'm shit at this! Sometimes I wish coach would just kick me off the team so I can stop embarrassing myself."

Adam huffed in disapproval before reaching out to cup the back of Charlie's head and bring their foreheads together. "Listen to me, Conway."

Charlie closed his eyes, trying to keep from sobbing in his friends face. "You mean too much to the team to count yourself out like this. We wouldn't be the same without you. Me, Hall, Goldberg, Mendoza. Anyone! We wouldn't be half as good as we are if we didn't have you to look out for us. Don't be ridiculous!" He reached out with the hand that wasn't holding Charlie's head and tenderly wiped the tears from the side of his friends face. Charlie basked in Adam's affection.

"Thanks Banksie." He breathed out as he allowed himself to be pulled into Adam's embrace. He reveled in the hug for a moment, knowing that Adam would probably never allow himself to show this much emotion in public.

"Alright now," Adam said, pulling away and messing up Charlie's hair. "Let's go get something to eat. I'm starving!"

Charlie followed Adam out of the room, wondering how much of the pep talk was _actually _true.

* * *

><p>Another occurrence in which Charlie realized just how troublesome he is, was right before their final game of the Goodwill Games. Adam had run into the locker room smiling so big it was almost blinding. Charlie shot up from his seat with an equally huge grin, surprised to see his buddy after a long time apart.<p>

"I woke up this morning…" the smile trailed into Adam's voice as he spoke. "And the pain was gone!"

Everybody cheered and shouted in glee to have their star player back, but Charlie just grinned so big his cheeks hurt. He was happy to have his Banksie back.

"That's great Adam, but," the cheers quieted at Bombay's tone. "We already have a full roster. I'm afraid you can't play."

Hearing this, Russ instantly started to pull off his jersey, but Charlie stopped him. They needed Russ, he was one of the star players, The Hometown Hero, but they also _really _needed Banks. Adam was the reason they had gotten that far in the tournament. Both of these guys were much better assets to the team than Charlie himself. He sighed, his stomach dropping to the floor. He made a decision.

"He can have my spot coach." He stepped forward to stand next to Adam. "It's the least I can do for the team." _It's the only thing I can do for the team, _Charlie thought bitterly, _stay out of the way and let Banks do the dirty work._

The team cheered, and Charlie hoped his wince was small enough that everybody wouldn't realize how much that hurt him.

Adam hugged him then, right in front of everyone. Charlie was surprised at first, this display of affection and emotion was definitely out of the ordinary, but it was nice. Adam was so tall that Charlie's head came to rest on his chest and Adam's head rested on the top of his.

"You're the best Charlie." Adam whispered against the top of his head.

"Yeah, I know," Charlie feigned confidence, pushing away from Adam. "And don't you forget it."

Adam chuckled at that and hurried off to get suited up for the game, but Charlie had meant it to be serious. How long would it be before everyone forgot about all that he had done to better the team because of some amazing plays on the ice that weren't made by him? How long was it going to be before his short lived hockey career bit the dust? He tried to act excited, when in reality, all he felt was a cold clump of remorse in the pit of his stomach. He tried to not to show how upset he was as dressed down for a game on the bench next to Adam, who he helped pad up for a rough game on the ice.

* * *

><p>Charlie had sat on the sidelines that game, with eyes only for Adam. He was like Banks' personal pit crew. He was there with a sweat rag if Adam had been sprinting for a while. A water bottle if he was out of breath. And as soon as Adam got a break and sat down on the bench, Charlie would be right there to ice his wrist.<p>

The game had been emotional and intense, with the crowd on their feet the whole time. Though Charlie was making plays and did get a bit of authority, he longed to be out on the ice with his teammates. Then he remembered the way they cheered when he gave up his spot and, with a bitter taste in his mouth, he'd forget about it and barked orders at the players.

Even though the team won that game, and Adam warmed his heart by giving him the flag; Charlie was exceptionally upset by the end of the game. Everyone kept giving him compliments about how good he was at coaching, but he knew better. He knew they were just being polite, and silently celebrating that he hadn't played that day.

Now Charlie wondered… is he really that worthless?

**To Be Continued...**

* * *

><p><strong>I hoped you like it so far! Review and tell me how you feel about it!<strong>

**Welcome to the SONG CORNER**

**Music is my inspiration, and just so you can get a feeling of what I get my ideas from, I will post a song or two here every week. Like a soundtrack of sorts.**

**First Song!**

**1. I'm Still Here (aka Jim's Theme) by John Rzeznick - I love this song. John Rzeznick is the lead singer of the Goo Goo Dolls and this is a song he sang for the Treasure Planet Soundtrack and it was the character Jim's Theme. I fell in love with this song when I came across a Johnny/Ponyboy music video on YouTube. **

**Reason: I chose this song because it reminds me of how desperate Charlie is trying to hold on to his friends and his team. (**_Wanna hold on and feel I belong.**) **_**That particular lyrics really turned me on to the song. The whole song is about being determined to prove himself.**

**Note: You will mostly find rock songs here in the corner, maybe indie from time to time, but never rap, pop etc. I want to infuse, not only the story, but the songs with their personalities. I know that this is slash, and the boys will turn up gay, but I still want them to act like their usual boyish selves. They're still boys; just boys in love.**

**I realize that you guys don't care whether this fic has a soundtrack or not, but I just put this up to entertain myself. Don't mind me.**


	2. First Day

**AN: I'd like to thank everybody who has reviewed and subscribed. I like knowing that people are out there reading, it means a lot.**

**BIG THANKS to my wonderful and thorough beta summergirl63088**.

**Chapter Two: First Day**

**"**_When the night falls on you_  
><em>You don't know what to do<em>  
><em>Nothin' you confess, could make me love you less<em>

_I'll stand by you, I'll stand by you_  
><em>Won't let nobody hurt you<em>  
><em>I'll stand by you<em>**"**

**-I'll Stand By You by The Pretenders**

"Nice tie, Banks!" Charlie jokes as they skate towards the team's next conquest, the infamous Eden Hall Academy.

Though he is surrounded by friends and on a scholarship, the feeling of unease hangs in the back of his head annoyingly.

"You're the one to talk, Conway." Adam chortles, nudging him so that Charlie stumbles on his skates a bit. "How many days in a row have you worn that jersey, now? Five? Six?"

He scoffs, becoming mock offended. "Why, Banksie, are you suggesting I should be ashamed of proudly wearing the Ducks' jersey?" He puts a hand over his eyes, feigning tears. "I'm hurt that you'd commend such a sinful act, but then again, you are just a lousy ol' _Cake-Eater!"_

Adam decides to indulge his friend and play along. "Why you!" He shouts dramatically and puts up his fists. "You shall rue your words, young Spazzway, for I shall beat you in a battle of honor!" And, a slap fight commences.

Charlie screams girlishly and acts wounded when Adam whacks him square in the shoulder. "Oh woe! Oh woe! I have been defeated; I must yield to the Malicious Banks!" He turns on his skates to hang dramatically onto Fulton's shoulder. "Avenge me!"

Fulton looks at his smaller friend in amusement, and decides to go along with the act. He scoops Charlie up into his arms; Charlie goes limp in his hands, acting as if a bigger man holding him up is normal, and dies melodramatically in the Bash Brother's arms. "I will avenge you!"

Fulton skates over to Adam, shifts all of Charlie's weight onto one arm, and then promptly pinches Banks in the arm.

"Ow!" Adam yelps, pouting and rubbing his arm. "Geez…" Which breaks Charlie from his façade; he laughs loudly into Fulton's shoulder.

"I didn't know you were so _sensitive_, Banksie." Charlie teases as Fulton sets him back down.

"Oh, _whatever_." Adam scoffs. "There was a lot of heat behind that pinch." He rolls his eyes as his friend continues to giggle wildly at him.

"Alright, that's enough messing around!" All the boys turn to Connie, who had been chatting with Guy at the front of the group. "We're in high school, so stop acting like children!"

Adam winces at the shrill voice ringing in his ears, Fulton rolls his eyes in long suffering exasperation, and Charlie barely contains his agitation at her. What's up her ass?

"Sorry, Queenie, didn't mean to upset you." He drops it after that and turns back to his two friends. "So, do you guys wanna come over this weekend? My neighbors are gone this whole week, and they have a pool in their backyard. Maybe we could sneak over and have some fun!"

"That sounds great, Charlie." Fulton consents. "But, ain't it s'posed to rain this weekend?"

"Oh, yeah." Charlie thinks for a moment. "Then, maybe you could just come over and hang out? We could call up Dean and see how he's doing." He bites his lip. "My mom's gonna be out of town and she wants me to go home to house sit. It's going to be so boring, and I'll be all alone. _Please?_ We can sneak into the movies!"

Adam pats Charlie's back. "Don't worry, I'll be there. I'll do anything to get out of the house and away from my parents."

"Yeah. I'll be there too." Fulton adds.

"Good." Charlie sighs in relief. "For a second, there, I thought I was gonna be watching TV and eating out of the café on my own all weekend."

* * *

><p>The rollerblading to Eden Hall was… eventful. After the little show Charlie put on for everyone and the making of weekend plans, something had happened to Goldberg (aka: something <em>that could only happen to <em>Goldberg) and he went flying off the main road into one of the back alleys of a neighborhood. He called for Charlie to help, for reasons _Charlie _can't even fathom, and they both almost die because the fat bastard can't keep his balance or control his skates.

Now Charlie is dirty, he smells weird, and he's sore in odd places. _Brought to you by the laziest, the shittiest. The one and only, Greg Goldberg. _He barely conceals a bitter glare at the goalie as Adam skates to him and coaxes one of the captain's hands around his shoulder.

As they skate into the gates of Eden Hall Academy, and descend upon the front lawn, Charlie feels his stomach drop. He hangs lower against Adam's shoulder, where his arm hangs with fatigue, and his jaw drops in pure awe-struck dread. The school looks like a mansion; the lawn is well kept, and there are people riding _horses._ He suddenly feels dizzy.

"You okay?" Adam laughs as Charlie starts to grumble something about _rich pansies. _

They end up sneaking in through the back, for fear of interrupting the ceremony that has already begun. Charlie briefly wonders where the rest of the team is, because they hadn't waited for them, but then forgets and follows his other teammates into the back door.

They go through a series of narrow halls and heavy doors, when Charlie suddenly gets suspicious. Who is leading the group right now? Because they sure as hell don't know where they're going. Adam glances worriedly back at Charlie as they enter a room that is full of chairs, with a high ceiling and tile floors. There are ropes hanging from the ceiling and a curtain to the side. Charlie gasps, hearing a voice on the other side of the curtain.

_Uh oh._

He flails his hands wildly to try and get everyone's attention, and Adam gestures for everyone to keep quiet; but of course, when you tell Goldberg to do something, he'll do the exact opposite. He turns and inquires rather loudly as to what they are doing, then, yet again, loses his balance and face plants into the floor, taking the big maroon curtain with him.

The next thing they know, the curtain wraps around the whole team and they're fighting futilely to get it off. Luckily, someone rips it off for them; they all go still, staring into hundreds of shocked eyes that belong to their future classmates and superiors.

Charlie swallows against the sudden waves of nausea, and pulls the most pleasant smile he can muster. "Uh, hi! We're the Ducks!" Off to the side he can see the rest of the team, sitting in the audience and hiding their faces in shame.

_Shit._

* * *

><p>"I'm really sorry, you guys." Charlie apologizes for the umpteenth time. "I didn't mean to embarrass you."<p>

"It's alright, Ducky." Russ says in exasperation, laying his hand on the boy's shoulder to get him to stop pacing. "Besides, you weren't the _only _one on stage."

"I thought it was pretty badass." Dwayne adds thoughtfully.

Charlie sighs and sits back down on the couch next to Adam. They are now in their dorm lounge; Charlie can't keep himself from scooting closer to Adam out of nervousness, and his eyes won't stop darting around the room in anxiety. Fortunately, his friend casually throws an arm around his shoulder to sedate his nerves slightly.

The captain is probably the tensest out of the whole team. His eyes shift every couple of minutes, and he's been sticking to Banks like a life preserver. The other boy doesn't seem to mind though; he just slings an arm over his shoulders and guides him through the day.

Charlie has been giving off increasingly palpable signals of distress all day. Adam doesn't blame him, though. This is _way_ out of their comfort zone. Half of the parking lot is filled with Mercedes and Mustangs; the halls are so tall they echo. The snobby students snarl at them as if they are scum; and as the day went on, Banks could see his captain's confident stance start to diminish, so he hurriedly steered the team to their dorms before it could get too out of control. He didn't miss the grateful look Charlie had shot him, either.

He now has his arm draped soothingly across the smaller boy's shoulders and succeeds in inconspicuously pulling Charlie closer. Much to Adam's delight, he leans back against him comfortably.

The rest of the team goes into easy conversation amongst themselves as Adam gazes at Charlie, who is watching his teammates with weary eyes.

"Charlie." Adam calls softly, nudging him slightly. "Stop worrying about it. It was actually pretty funny."

His eyes skitter to the larger boy he is leaning against. He almost looks timid. "Yeah…" He amends hesitantly, "I just don't want them to be mad at me."

Banks shakes his head. "They aren't mad at you. They've probably already forgotten about it." He chuckles. "Think about all the people who know our faces now."

Charlie's face goes green. "_Yeah_."He subconsciously burrows lower against his friend's side.

They both get comfortable, lulling against each other and snuggling comfortably in their shared warmth; but of course, somebody always has to ruin it.

_Always_.

"I gotta go to the library." Goldberg announces loudly, to no one in particular. "Who's comin' with me?"

As everyone gets up from where they are sitting and follows the goalie out the door, Charlie decides that it'd be prudent to go too. He gets up, and a rush of cold air hits Adam in the absence of his companion's body warmth.

It's Banks' turn to grumble as he gets up and follows Charlie out the door. It seems as if as soon he gets a bit of time or close enough to just hang out with his friend, it is ruined by another member of the team. No one really respects the fact that maybe Banks&Conway need a little bit of time to themselves every once in a while.

They engage in easy conversation as they make their way to the media center, standing shoulder to shoulder as to block each other from the harsh October winds. As they talk, Adam realizes that something has changed in his captain since the summer: he has _shrunk _somehow. Not in the sense of height, but in personality. He has lost weight, though, and that's not good. Banks makes a mental note to make sure Charlie eats something at each meal time.

The closer they get to the library, the more students they encounter, and Adam doesn't miss the way Charlie sinks farther down into his jacket in apprehension.

He leans in close to his captain, laying a hand on his shoulder, hoping to cheer him up. "Hockey tryouts are tomorrow. We can let off some steam then, eh?"

A smile slips onto Charlie's face, but it lacks the usual brightness as trepidation mars his features. "Yeah." He agrees reluctantly. It seems as if that is the only word he can utter to Banks tonight.

Though the smile lingers on his face for a while, he sticks close to Adam for the duration of their visit to the library.

**To Be Continued...**

* * *

><p><strong><span>SONG CORNER!<span>**

**2. I'll Stand By You by The Pretenders - This is such a sweet song. It's a romantic 90s rock ballad about comfort and trust. It reminds me of Adam's eagerness to comfort Charlie when he is in distress.**

**AN: I hope you liked this chapter. Review please!**


	3. TBD

**AN: This chapter is unbetad. All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy this chapter; it's the longest I've ever written. And remember, reviews fuel my creativity so... FEED ME!**

**Big thanks to Tornado123, Silent Sage, and for reviewing on the last chapter. I appreciate it!**

**"**_I'll be there for you_  
><em>These five words I swear to you<em>  
><em>When you breathe I want to be the air for you<em>  
><em>I'll be there for you<em>  
><em>I'd live and I'd die for you<em>  
><em>I'd steal the sun from the sky for you<em>  
><em>Words can't say what love can do<em>  
><em>I'll be there for you<em>**"**

**I'll Be There For You by Bon Jovi**

**Chapter Three: T.B.D. **

School is brutal. Not only because of the mocking stares students keep shooting Charlie's way, but also because he only has one class and lunch with Adam. He finds himself glancing at the clock every five minutes, anticipating the time when his classes end and he can go play hockey with his friend.

Algebra is his first hour, which is the worst time for the worst class. Banks had had trouble waking him up this morning, yelling at him every couple minutes as he himself scurried about their shared dorm room getting ready for the day. After a while Adam had resorted to dragging him out of bed, shamelessly stripping him down, and then shoving him into the shower. Adam had barely had time to lead Charlie to his first hour before the bell rang. Luckily, his own class is right next door. And Charlie is too tired to feel guilty about it.

Now he nods in and out of consciousness as Mr. Kirk drones on and on about numbers and letters, which Charlie gave up listening to five minutes into class. It seems that the teacher has no sympathy whatsoever as to this being his first day, and refuses to slow down enough for him to be able to be fully on board with the classroom. The teacher starts on one problem in the workbook, and Charlie barely has time to make sense of it before the rest of the class has moved on.

He dejectedly leans over, cheek in hand, and watches the clock. Waiting for it to be over. His next class will be horrible too, but at least it will be better than this.

Boy, was he wrong! His second hour, much to his frustration, is drama. He makes a mental note to have a serious talk with the counselor about his class arrangement.

The drama teacher, Mrs. Swope, is a nightmare. Not only does she look crazy, with frizzy red hair and cloudy green eyes, but she acts crazy too. As soon as Charlie walks into the room she makes him stand up on the makeshift stage in the middle of the room and introduce himself.

His face goes red when he hears one of the artsy fartsy thespians make a snarky comment on his clothes and observes that his curly hair is _totally untidy. _His ears heat up and he just manages to say. "My name is… _Ch-_Charlie Conway." Before hopping off the stage and retreating to the back of the room to an empty desk.

He absolutely hates the woman when she makes him go on stage and cold read to a whole bunch of strangers. He curses her under his breath as he walks be her, and he suddenly wishes he was still in Algebra.

Its odd how one day at a new school has strung him out so extremely. He used to be confident, even on the verge of being proud, but now he can't even stand in front of a class room to introduce himself. What happened?

Third hour is US History.

Mr. Ellis is a tall, grizzly man who gets way too close to Charlie's face when he talks to him. Thankfully, he didn't make Charlie introduce himself, much to the duck's delight. To make up for his uncharacteristic luck with this teacher though, he is sat in the middle of a group of football players who are as thick as trees and even hairier than the teacher.

The room is uncomfortably hot, despite how chilly it is outside the windows. So much so that Charlie starts to sweat inside of his Abbey Road t-shirt and he fiddles with the collar miserably. And it doesn't help that one of the football players keep poking him painfully in the back.

Fourth hour lasts two hours instead of one, but on the upside, lunch cuts those two hours in half. Science is the subject, and his teacher Mrs. Murphy is a sweet, soft spoken old woman. He likes her for this, but at the same time, she can't control the rest of the kids in the room.

The kids in here look like they've walked straight out of the hood into a private preparatory school. The girls wear low-cut halter tops and bright colored pants while the boys have patterns shaved into their hair and piercings on their eyebrows.

The boy who sits behind Charlie has a weird fixation with his curl's and Charlie has more than once politely asked him to stop touching his hair, but then he'll start all over again within the next five minutes. The girl next to him fusses loudly about every flaw she can see of his outer appearance, and Charlie wants nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

He counts down the minutes to lunch and lets out a long suffered sigh when the break bell finally sounds.

* * *

><p>He rushes to Adam's locker, bumping into many protesting students on the way.<p>

"Banksie!" He calls when he sees his dark blonde friend at his locker. "Hey, Banksie!"

Banks smiles at his friends advancing form, just as excited to see his friend as Charlie is to see him. His heart flutters when he sees the crestfallen expression in his friend's hazel eyes wash away and warmth return upon seeing him. Adam feels powerful when he realizes that he's the only one that can make Charlie feel this way. A little guilty too.

He briefly wonders if his captain realizes he does that, before forgetting it quickly when Charlie finally arrives at his locker.

"I've been waiting all day for this." Charlie confesses with a sigh of relief. "I don't have classes with _anybody!"_

Adam chuckles, but feels a twinge of guilt pull at his stomach. He has had at least one teammate in each of his classes so far. "Really? That's rough."

"You have no idea." He slaps him on the back heartily, before gesturing in the direction of the dining hall. "You ready to go?"

Banks nods, grabs his money out of his back pack and follows his friend to the cafeteria.

The dining room is a mess of kids talking, scrambling for empty seats and tripping over each other. The boys can see the cliquish seating arrangement as soon as they walk in. At the center of the room is all of the upper class, varsity sports teams. Surrounding them is the other upper classmen and the higher caliber of popular students. The outside rows are the average kids and the students that belong to the academic teams and clubs. In the back, next to the trash cans, Adam and Charlie see their teammates sitting and scowling as they eat their food heatedly. The boys realize that that table must be meant for the losers that are here on scholarship.

They look at each other, then laugh at the forlorn expressions on the rest of the teams' face. They figure its just a table and soon they'll all forget about it.

The canteen area is even more hectic than the dining area. Most of the students scramble for the French fries and hamburgers, while the more self conscious students grab salads and fruit bowls. Adam goes straight to the pizza bar and grabs a slice for himself then, after a thought, grabs one for Charlie. He grabs a tray, sits the food on top and gets two Pepsi's from the refrigerator and goes to the cash register.

Charlie realizes what he's doing and protests stubbornly. "You don't have to do that Adam. Really, I'm fine."

Adam raises his eyebrows at his friends. "Really?" He shakes his head as Charlie nods. "I don't know if you remember, but we have try-outs after school today. And no one plays their best on an empty stomach. Especially you; you're very…" he searches for a word. "_Difficult, _when you are hungry."

"What do you mean?" Charlie queries innocently.

"Y'know." Adam smiles. "You get bitchy. Like you're on PMS or something."

"What's PMS?" Adam snorts at Charlie's question. "Seriously. Is it Paul McCartney Syndrome? Because if it is… I want me some of that!"

There are tears in the corners of Banks' eyes from the effort of holding back hysterical laughter as they sit down at their table. Charlie squeezes himself in between Adam and Fulton.

"Hiya Fulton!" He says a bit too loud as a cheeky smile twists his lips.

Fulton ruffles his captain's hair, making the smaller boy scowl. "Hey Ducky. How's it been?"

"Don't get me started." Charlie warns. "I've had to sit through every class, _alone._"

"That's rough." Reed sympathizes, and Charlie glances between Adam and Fulton in wide eyed exasperation.

"I know _right!"_

The captain continues to chat with the Bash Brother until somebody else seeks Reeds attention then he turns to Banks.

"So, Banksie…" Charlie says to get his attention. "What other classes do you have today?"

"I have Marine Biology 1 next hour and Science last hour." Adam answers, proud of himself for already memorizing his schedule.

"Yes!" The smaller boy pumps his fist. "I have Marine Biology 1 next hour too!"

They eat lunch comfortably with one another with easy conversation and serene silences. Toward the end of lunch Fulton engages Charlie in a conversation and Adam tries not become too annoyed at Reeds constant craving of Charlie's attention and Charlie's willingness to give it out.

He did, however, have a nice laugh at their topic of conversation. "Fulton, what is PMS?"

Reed looked over Charlie's head to raise his eyebrow at Adam, who innocently shrugs his shoulders in return.

The Bash Brother looks back at his captain surprised that he was the one to tell the boy this and wondering why he doesn't already know.

"Well…" He starts awkwardly. "When a girl becomes a woman…"

Fulton continues to explain his little knowledge of the mechanics of the female body to Charlie as Adam apologetically helps mop up the soda that had spewed out of his nose and onto Guy.

* * *

><p>After sitting through the second hour of science class, Charlie is more than ready for fifth hour with Adam. He rushes to his locker to switch out his binders then hurriedly walks to the biology lab.<p>

Mrs. Carlton is a big woman with sarcastic speech and a high brow. She looks to be intimidating when Charlie and Adam first walk in, but she's not as bad as the rest. She skips introductions and sits them at their own table in the back, listing them as lab partners.

The others students purposefully swivel in their chairs to openly stare at them, judgmental and insulting. Charlie shies away from their cold gazes and searches frantically for something to distract himself, so as not to let on that they threaten him. His ears heat up as whispered conversations bloom here and there across the room.

When no one is looking, Adam inconspicuously reaches over and pats his hand, trying to convey as much comfort as possible in the small touch. Charlie smiles weakly at him, embarrassed that, yet again, he's shown weakness in front of his Banksie. He is the captain, he should be more resilient. Especially in front of Banks.

After mentally kicking himself, he tunes into the teachers carefully spoken instructions in the front of the room. They are going to be dissecting octopi for the next couple of days and Charlie sniggers when he sees Adam's face turn to a slight greenish hue.

"Oh no!" Charlie jokes quietly. "Is the fearless Banks afraid of a dead animal?"

"Shut up!" He admonishes feebly, his stomach churning as the teacher starts to distribute the ailing animal carcass.

Despite the analytical stares of their peers and the dead, grimy stench of their project, the boys have the most fun they've had all day.

Charlie's rambunctious antics bring out the uncharacteristic capers of Adam. They laugh wildly when Charlie's tongue slips when asking the teacher a question and he asks how to lance 'the testacles' instead of tentacles. He then splashed Banks with the murky water the aquatic animal is laying in when he mocks him about it. And they both get sprayed with some type of rotten, cloudy fluid when they stick the knife to the wrong part of the animal.

Sure, they stink of salty, decaying animal afterward. But at least they can stink together.

* * *

><p>After school, the whole teams walks to the ice rink together. The 'oh' and 'ah' over how big it is, only to be met at the entrance by the captain Warrior.<p>

"Well, well, well…" He sneers menacingly, looking into each face of the Ducks. Charlie ignores him and tries to squeeze past and get on the ice, but the warrior stops him though. "Who do we have here? The captain Ducky?" He smacks Charlie hard on the chest.

"Hands _off_." Adam warns stepping up behind his captain, ready to defend.

"Oh?" The warrior says in mock curiosity. "Does Ducky have his own personal body guard?"

"Just leave him alone." Adam steps up to where he is close enough the slow dance with the guy and Charlie's heart speeds up for a moment. It looks like they might fight; both of their testosterone levels rising as they become territorial in their own right.

Fulton steps forward to break it up as Charlie falters and his palms start to sweat. Luckily, the varsity coach calls the warriors off the ice before anything too violent can happen.

The captain begrudgingly skates away, glaring at them the whole way and Adam keeps his angered stance until the warriors disappear into their locker room. The team finally skates onto the ice after the door is firmly shut.

Adam slowly skates alongside Charlie, whose shoulders are slumped slightly but nervous dignity keeps them from collapsing totally.

"Don't worry about him." Adam assures his friend firmly. "I won't let him mess with you." He puts an arm around Charlie and squeezes his shoulders minutely before heading off to skate with the rest of the team.

* * *

><p>Cowboy Roundup is always fun to play and it always proves to cheer Charlie up. And it's just what he needs to come down from the high of anxiety left over from the Adam-Warrior encounter. He finally loosens and starts to cut up with Fulton and Banks when he raises his eyes to meet the gaze of a veiny faced man who is flaring his nostrils at him.<p>

The man skates so close to him that he's towering over him and menacingly staring him down, just like the warrior. Charlie can feel Adam close on his flank, at the ready to defend again.

_But there is no need to get defensive with this guy, right? _Charlie thinks. _He's the coach. _But Banks stays there, a reassuring rock at his back. For this Charlie is grateful, because as this guy opens his mouth to speak the playful mood on the rink darkens, much like a rain cloud blowing over a golden sun set.

"My name is coach Orion." The man states stoically. "You can call me Coach, or coach Orion."

There is a pause where no one speaks. Charlie extends his hand, taking the silence as his turn to introduce himself. "My name's Charlie."

He then realizes his assumption is wrong; by the look on Orion's face, he dubbed it as disrespectful.

"That must be what the C on your jersey stands for." He sneers. "'Cause it sure as hell doesn't stand for captain."

Charlie tries not to visibly cringe at the man's stinging words. Luckily, Adam takes the reins for him. He's standing so close Charlie can feel his breath on his ear.

"Bombay gave him that jersey." He explains assertively. Almost sounding defiant.

"I gathered." Orion deadpans, but doesn't take his eyes off Charlie. "But, y'see, this is _my_ team now… and I'm not sure if you're exactly _captain material_."

Charlie feels Banks lurch forward slightly and knock into his shoulder in chagrin and he can hear the sympathetic hisses of the rest of his team. Charlie almost feels his title of alpha male slipping through his fingers and being violated by this man in front of him. His ears heat up as anger simmers in his veins.

"You've gotta be kidding me right?" He bites out, trying to keep from spitting at the guys shoes. He can sense Adam's surprise at his anger, but he doesn't care, this has been a long time coming and Orion is the perfect scapegoat. "I mean, _you're _the rookie. _We've _been together for years." He gestures irately at the rest of the team.

"Alright _Charlie._" Orion rumbles at him. "Laps, now."

Charlie feels the cold bitterness bubble up into his throat as Orion stares into him perilously with his beady eyes. "How many _Coach?_" Matching the man's hateful tone.

"I don't recall saying."

Charlie then drops his gloves then skates around Orion and starts to pumps his legs, ignoring Adam's worried gaze.

* * *

><p>Though he and the coach started off on the wrong foot, Charlie feels that he has proven himself captain worthy by the end of the try outs. If his playing didn't convince the coach he was competent then the appraisal from his teammates should have. But coach stated his grade requirements and instructing them to avoid the varsity team when he posts the teams positions and everything is wrong.<p>

First Goldberg throws a fit because he isn't the starting goalie and Fulton gets upset because he will be playing on the wrong side of the rink. It's all small things like that but when Charlie goes to look at the sheet himself its like the world crumbling around him.

"Whose captain Tibbid?" Dewayne asks stupidly from behind.

"Don't be stupid." Connie says from somewhere off to the side. "That stands for To Be Determined."

"But Charlie, isn't that your job?"

Charlie doesn't answer; he doesn't even look at the team. He just stares at the roster hanging on the bulletin board. Not only is his role as captain being taken away from him, but Banks won't be there to help him get through it. It seems as though his fears ring true. He is a failure.

Charlie doesn't know when the team left or how long he's been standing alone, but he suddenly realizes how quiet it is. His only accompaniment is the breaths of one other person and he doesn't have to look up to know who it is.

He doesn't lift his head when he feels Adam's strong arms encircle his waste, he only lets his own arms snake around the back of the taller boy's neck and hold on for dear life. He buries his face in Banks' shirt, not caring that its still slightly damp and smelling of sweat, but he doesn't let himself cry. He refuses to cry.

They stay like that for a while. Adam cradling Charlie against him, conveying comfort and support in a way that's stronger than words.

**To Be Continued...**

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed the chapter. PLEASE REVIEW.<strong>

**SONG CORNER!**

**3. I'll Be There For You by Bon Jovi - GOD, this song is amazing! Especially for Charlie and Adam. I have loads of songs like this listed for the rest of the story. So much so that I think I might need to start doubling up on each chapter. FYI, there will be exactly thirty three chapters in this story. **

**At the end of the story I will make a playlist and put it on this stories lj community profile. What? Oh, yes! This story has its own community profile on LiveJournal! Here's the url is: mdfic-insecure(dot)livejournal(dot)come. For all of you lj users, feel free to join. All (dots) = actual dots if you haven't figured that out.**

**Thank you!**


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